You can scarcely open a magazine, turn on the tv, or read a facebook feed without coming across at least one reference to health, food and nutrition. Eat more this, less this, avoid this at all costs, you've never lived if you haven't eaten this... It can all be a bit much.
Last week, we looked at some new research that's being done to determine if there's an effective way to use marketing strategies to increase the amount of fruits and veggies found in the grocery cart. As promised, this week we are going to look at what the Big Companies are doing to market their goods, and how their items end up in your cart, even if they aren't first showing up on your grocery list.
1) We rarely venture to the center A pretty cool study hooked up GPS units to grocery shoppers to track their movements through the store. While we may think of grocery shopping as an up-and-down type pattern, the truth is, we rarely do this. Most often, people will move along the perimeter of the store, venturing into aisles, and often, only to what they need and straight out again.
Why does this matter? Products placed at the center of the aisle will receive less foot traffic, so this isn't a high-priority area for popular items. Instead, retailers will often utilize the end-space to feature profitable items.
Wouldn't it be cool if oatmeal toppings, such as bananas, raisins or nuts were featured on the ends of the cereal aisle? (I referred to this last week, Publix does this on occasion)
2) Fresh stuff is on the outside! The perimeter of the store usually houses the fresher, less processed items, such as bakery, deli, butcher, produce and dairy. Packaged foods, such as crackers, cereals, snacks and canned goods tend to be on the center aisles.
This makes sense especially if you consider that the fresh-areas require more space and personnel, especially in the deli, bakery and butcher shop!
3) Look high, look low. Eye level is key to getting you to notice things. Think about this when you take a kid to the store with you -- younger kids have a lower eye level, and often products marketed to them will be placed lower on the shelves. This is also important for pricing -- higher profit margin items will often be right where you see them, and are likely to go for them first.
Seriously, though, look all over the shelves, and not just at the items staring straight at you! Often you'll be able to find comparable items with a friendly price tag if you look across the shelves.
4) I meant it when I said don't shop hungry! Get your ideas together, make a list, and stick with it! Humans are not happy when they are hungry, and research shows people are more likely to purchase more energy dense foods when hungry. For a June 2013 article published by JAMA, go here.
5) Primates respond to Red, and we are the only mammals that can even see it. As it happens, not only do we see red, we have a pretty interesting response to it. Why? This article can tell you more, but a large piece of this amounts to our ability to spot ripened fruit on a tree. The red shines out like a shining beacon. The Publix sale tags are a great (if blurry) example.
7) There's an app for that. Publix now lets you digitally clip coupons and attach them to your phone number. At the check out, you can enter your digits to submit your coupons. There are other coupon apps you can use and scan at the store -- not only to build your grocery list but to clip coupons and aid in on-sale-meal-planning for the week.
Is there another thing you've noticed influences the way you shop? Let us know!
-- Les, MS RD LD
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